Padraig’s jaw dropped. “Ye didn’t.”
“Sure, why wouldn’t I?”
Padraig gripped the edge of the horse trough, clutching his stomach, wheezing so hard, I thought he’d keel over there and then.
Something scraped from the entrance to the stables. I pretended not to see Keelynn passing by one of the empty horse stalls.
She’d changed. And put on a new black dress.
I shouldn’t have noticed the way it nipped in, accentuating her waist or the way the lace at the front puckered over her breasts. Breasts I’d gotten a decent view of at the lake.
Breasts I wouldn’t mind seeing again.
“What’s so funny?” asked the wasp, pushing dark hair out of her eyes.Eyes that only a few hours ago had been red and panicked and searching.
“Nothing, milady,” Padraig rushed. The only sign he’d been laughing was the strain in his voice.
Keelynn’s eyes found mine.
And she smiled.
Not one of the pained winces or strained-lipped looks she’d given me on a daily basis. A full-blown, face-lighting smile that cast away the shadows and made a man believe in things like happiness and vows.
Behind her, Padraig shook his head, his eyes bulging.
What he didn’t realize was that if the woman kept smiling at me like that, I’d tell her anything she wanted to know. “All I said was that the horse and I both have impressive—”
Padraig’s hand shot out, catching her elbow. “I’m afraid master Tadhg’s humor is not suited to a high-born lady’s ears.”
Still her smile remained.
And her eyebrows arched in a silent challenge.
A challenge I was more than happy to accept.
I pointed directly to the hulking black stallion’s undercarriage, then held my hands in front of me.
Her face turned red and she—
Wait.
Did she glance at my breeches?
They got a little tighter as my body responded.
Time to issue a challenge of my own. “The stall at the end’s empty if you’d like a closer look,” I drawled.
With her cheeks so flushed, the last thing I expected her to say was, “Doesn’t seem impressive enough to warrant my attention.”
“Milady!” Padraig’s flat cap slipped when he shook his head, his brow lined with disapproval.
I’d bend her over the haybales in the corner and show her something impressive. “You’d be surprised.”
“Master Tadhg!” Padraig’s limp miraculously disappeared when he stomped forward, catching me by the collar, forcing me to look at him. “Ye will remember to whom ye are speaking and stop this sort of talk immediately.”
Keelynn watched me, a sparkle in those steely eyes and the slightest lift to her plump lips. I couldn’t help but wink at her. That invisible thread around my middle drew taut. If she wanted to continue this conversation tonight, tomorrow, in the middle of the village square, I’d be more than willing to oblige. All she had to do was say the word.
Padraig, the old bastard, started yammering about lodgings and food, drawing her attention away from me and back to him. The warmth spreading in my chest went cold.